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Table of Contents

Team Building Guide

Pokémon team building is one of the most important skills a competitive battler should have. It is also a skill that many competitive battlers struggle with. This guide is here to help you hone your team building skills so that you can compete on a high level with battlers everywhere.

II Contents

II. Basic Roles

Some Pokémon are better at performing some tasks than others. Each Pokémon you consider for your team will fit into specific roles, which are described below. It is vital to any trainer's success to understand what each of these types of Pokémon do and how to effectively counter each strategy.

A. Offensive Roles

These Pokémon are used to inflict pain on the opponent's Pokémon. They are regularly used on offensive teams, but they also show up on most other types of teams. These Pokémon include:

→ Physical Sweeper

Description: Physical sweepers use physical attacks to attempt to sweep the opposing team. Physical sweepers have good attack and speed, and they often use stat-up moves like Swords Dance and Dragon Dance. Some physical sweepers use a Choice Band to power up their attacks without any setting up required. Physical sweepers also have the benefit of being able to abuse powerful moves like Outrage, Close Combat, and Earthquake, which can make them difficult to stop.

→ Special Sweeper

Description: Special sweepers use special attacks to attempt to sweep the opposing team. Special sweepers have good special attack and speed, and they often use stat-up moves like Calm Mind and Nasty Plot. Some special sweepers use Choice Specs to power up their attacks without any setting up required. Many special sweepers have problems dealing with Blissey (who walls most special sweepers), which can make them less attractive than physical sweepers.

→ Mixed Sweeper

Description: Mixed sweepers use both physical and special attacks to attempt to sweep the opposing team. Mixed sweepers have good attack and special attack and usually have decent speed as well. Mixed sweepers are most often used to break through both physical and special walls, so they are popular Pokémon for dismantling stall teams.

→ Revenge Killer

Description: Revenge killers are Pokémon that come in after one of its teammates has fallen to defeat the Pokémon that defeated it. Revenge killers commonly use Choice Scarf to outspeed the Pokémon they are looking to revenge kill. Priority moves like Ice Shard and Aqua Jet are also not uncommon to see on revenge killers. Revenge killers are often staples of offensive teams to ensure the defeat of other threatening sweepers.

B. Defensive Roles

These Pokémon are used to stop sweepers from inflicting serious pain on all other Pokémon. They are regularly used on stall teams, but they also show up on most other types of teams. These Pokémon include:

→ Physical Wall

Description: Physical walls are Pokémon used to stop physical sweepers and to wall physical attacks in general. Instant recovery outside of Rest/Sleep Talk is always an asset to physical walls, and many have access to it through Roost, Recover, or even Slack Off. Typing is very important for physical walls so that they can buy a resistance or immunity to common attack types they will be facing while also avoiding weaknesses to those very types.

→ Special Wall

Description: Special walls are Pokémon used to stop special sweepers and to wall special attacks in general. Instant recovery outside of Rest/Sleep Talk is always an asset to special walls, though few actually boast it. Special walls generally depend on large HP and/or special defense stats so that special sweepers cannot do significant damage before they are defeated, whereas physical walls traditionally depend on their resistances and immunities to wall opposing sweepers.

→ Mixed Wall

Description: Mixed walls are Pokémon used to stop all kinds of sweepers and to wall both physical and special attacks. Mixed walls are especially useful for stopping mixed sweepers since they can take both physical and special attacks. However, most mixed walls cannot wall physical attacks as well as normal physical walls orspecial attacks as well as normal special walls, so they should not be overestimated.

→ Bulky Water

Description: Bulky waters are Pokémon whose water typing gives them very few weaknesses, and added on top of good HP and defense stats, they can effectively wall a handful of physical sweepers. Bulky waters are often used to defeat dragons like Salamence and Dragonite with Ice Beam. Bulky waters have taken a hit with the coming of more powerful physical sweepers in DP, so they usually aren't as reliable as traditional physical walls.

→ Counter Utility

Description: Counter utilities are Pokémon that are almost exclusively designed to counter a few specific threats very effectively. Most counter utilities are walls or Pokémon that are focused on defense rather than offense. They are very useful for filling in very specific holes in teams.

C. Support Roles

These Pokémon are used to support all kinds of teams in various ways; this depends on the specific role of the supporter. These Pokémon include:

→ SRer / (Toxic) Spiker

Description: SRers (Stealth Rockers) and Spikers lay down Stealth Rock and Spikes, respectively. Spikers are usually only seen on stall teams to rack up damage on incoming Pokémon, and Toxic Spikes are not far behind. In the case of Stealth Rock, however, many Pokémon can effectively set it in play, and it is the key for many sweepers to get the KOs they need to sweep. Some leads exist for the sole purpose of laying down Stealth Rock to set up the team's sweepers.

→ Hazer / PHazer

Description: Hazers and PHazers (Pseudo-Hazers) are Pokémon used to eliminate stat-ups the opposing Pokémon has accumulated. They are often used to counter Baton Pass strategies. PHazers usually carry either Roar or Whirlwind to blow the opposing Pokémon out of play, which effectively eliminates all stat boosts as well as substitutes. PHazing moves are also useful for abusing entry hazards like Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes.

→ Rapid Spinner

Description: Rapid Spinners are Pokémon that attempt to get rid of popular entry hazards like Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes by using Rapid Spin to clear the field of them. They are a necessity on teams that have several Pokémon weak to Stealth Rock, especially Pokémon like Moltres and Yanmega. However, ghosts can block Rapid Spin, so rapid spinners are the most effective when they can deal with the ghosts that try to block Rapid Spin.

→ Baton Passer

Description: Baton Passers are Pokémon that use Baton Pass to pass stat boosts and much, much more to help teammates. They are primarily used to set up sweepers by either making them extremely fast or incredibly powerful, but they can pass other benefits as well. More information regarding what can be passed to teammates using Baton Pass can be found here.

→ Cleric

Description: Clerics are Pokémon that use Aromatherapy or Heal Bell to wipe out status ailments that their team is being plagues with. Clerics are often replaced on teams by status absorbers that take status for the entire team (usually with Rest/Sleep Talk). Clerics have seen less usage in DP due to the fact that they give the opponent a free turn to switch out or set up.

III Contents

III. Building Your Team

A. Team Types

In order to build a successful team that can climb the leader board, you must first choose the type of team you think would best fit your playing style and the current conditions of the metagame. Pokémon team types include:

→ Offensive

Description: Offensive teams are the force in the metagame today, using high-powered sweepers and speedy revenge killers to wipe out their opponents before they can respond. Most offensive teams require Stealth Rock for certain sweepers to sweep, and they often use leads whose sole purpose is to set up Stealth Rock for the rest of the team.

→ Stall

Description: Stall teams are the polar opposite of offensive teams, as they almost exclusively use walls and defensive Pokémon to wear out and stall their opponents to death. They abuse entry hazards and like to badly poison foes to make them easier to stall out, and they are great at slowing down the game.

→ Balanced

Description: Balanced teams are the teams that use a combination of offensive and defensive techniques to remain defensively solid while retaining enough power to potentially devastate the opponent. They use all kinds of Pokémon to help achieve victory, so the structures of balanced teams will vary. Balanced teams are rare to see since they usually don't have the offense to break stall teams or the defense to stop offensive teams.

→ Weather / Trick Room

Description: Weather teams are teams that are set up around a weather effect like hail, sandstorm, rain, or sunshine. The former two are used to do more damage to the opponent (and occasionally abuse evasion abilities like Snow Cloak and Sand Veil), while the latter two usually have offense in mind. Trick Room teams are much like Rain Dance and Sunny Day teams, as they use slow, powerful Pokémon to sweep the opponent in the five turns that it is in effect.

→ Baton Pass

Description: A team dedicated to passing around stat boosts with Baton Pass to prepare a sweep. These kinds of teams often use 5 Baton Passers with various stat boosting moves with a sweeper at the end of the so called "Baton Pass chain," but can also have two or even three sweepers, which may or may not also know Baton Pass though their primary focus is to sweep. They are very hit-or-miss, and for that reason, they are rarely seen in serious competitive battles.

B. Pokémon Selections & Strategy

Once you know what type of team you want to use, you'll want to choose Pokémon that fit that team type, and more importantly, your playing style. However, restricting yourself too much when selecting your Pokémon will likely lay the foundation for an unsuccessful team. Sometimes, not over thinking things and just trying out what you think will work gets you the best results.

Also, it's important not to get too caught up in Pokémon roles. Being sure that your team always has a certain numbers of physical walls and sweepers, special walls and sweepers, tanks, etc. will restrict you too much and often ends in a disjointed and disunified team. On the same token, you can restrict yourself by trying too hard to be unique or to stand out from the crowd, which is only setting yourself up for failure. While creative and unexpected movesets have their place, using them in excess will only hurt your team when Pokémon who are better suited for the job are being left out. Just stick with the reliable old standards, and when you get good enough, then you can try to be more creative.

Instead of over thinking selections and restricting your options, come up with a simple strategy for your team. A lot of teams try to open a a sweep for a certain Pokémon and have the rest of the team get rid of its counters and pave the way so that it can accomplish its goal. This is a common strategy for offensive teams. Some teams just try to wear down the opponent and slowly suck their life away, which is what almost every stall team's strategy is. While it is possible to win without a specific strategy, it is very helpful for building a successful team.

Once you have a team type in mind and a strategy in place, it is time to select the Pokémon you want to help execute your strategy. If the strategy or your team is to sweep with Swords Dance Lucario in the late game, then you'll want Pokémon that support it. For example, Choice Scarf Dugtrio will trap and kill ScarfTran and Choice Scarf Magnezone on the spot, which eliminates two potential roadblocks. Gliscor counters SDLuke, so using Toxic Heracross to cripple and and wear it down to the point where it is no longer a factor also contributes to the team and what it is trying to accomplish.

However, even the best strategy can fall apart in the middle of a battle. If Heracross and Dugtrio are both knocked out at the beginning of the battle, you have to have a backup plan. For example, you could use Swampert, who is a good counter to Heatran, Magnezone, and Gliscor to keep these threats to Lucario at bay. You could also invest in other independant sweepers to try to crush your opponent's team that way or at least weaken it to the point where Lucario can sweep. Being unprepared for disaster will spell doom, so have a backup plan if the original strategy falls apart.

Also, be sure not to use a Pokémon that is completely outclassed by another one. Why use Calm Mind Espeon when Alakazam is faster and more powerful? Also, if you want to make a serious team that is supposed to be able to compete with anybody, you will have to get over how much you hate a certain Pokémon and be willing to use it if it's best for your team. Otherwise, your team will never reach its full potential.

IV Contents

IV. Threat List

While building your team, it is important that you understand that your opponent won't be waiting to fall victim to your strategy. Your opponent will also be trying to execute a gameplan to defeat your team. You will have to be prepared for what your opponent could throw at you, so you'll want to have a counter, check, and/or revenge killer to as many threats on this list as you can. It's almost impossible to counter everything, so don't waste your time trying to. For your RMT threads, you can copy and paste the threat list you need from here and put it into your RMT to do some of the work for the team raters while adding depth to your RMT.

A. OU Threat List

If you're building an OU team, this is the threat list you're looking for. It has been divided into two sections: Offensive Pokémon and Defensive & Support Pokémon. A lot of the Pokémon listed can fit into both sections, so be sure to check out the link to each Pokémon's Smogon analysis page so you know exactly what to prepare for.

If you're building an UU team, this is the threat list you're looking for. It has been divided into two sections: Offensive Pokémon and Defensive & Support Pokémon. A lot of the Pokémon listed can fit into both sections, so be sure to check out the link to each Pokémon's Smogon analysis page so you know exactly what to prepare for.

V Contents

V. Perfecting Your Team

A. Testing Your Team

The first thing that you should do when you complete your team is start battling with it. Many problems and weaknesses will become obvious right away, while you will get used to your team and learn how to win with it. Problems that show up when testing should be dealt with as soon as possible, and then you should battle more to see if the changes you made had a positive effect.

It is important not to fool yourself into thinkingt that only battling in a few matches will give you a clear picture of what your team can and can't do, because that simply isn't the case. You will need to battle a variety of different Pokémon and playing styles before you can make any solid conclusions.

It is also important to be honest with yourself. If you lost because you played poorly, that's fine, but be sure that you know when a loss was your fault and when it had something to do with the way your team is structured. It is tough to always be right in that regard, but not being in denial about your losses will help you improve your team..

B. Posting A RMT Thread

After you have completed testing your team, a good way to improve your team is to post a RMT Thread in Strategies and Movesets on PokéCommunity or Stark Mountain on Smogon. For more information on making an attractive RMT post, look here. Team raters can give you valuable insight on what your team might need help with. Be sure to be open to their suggestions even if your team is doing well, as there is always room for improvement.

Also, don't be afraid to replace Pokémon on your team for new ones. Trying out new things is always beneficial, and if it doesn't work out, you can always go back to what you had before. Besides, you will gain experience with different Pokémon, which can be useful when playing against those Pokémon or when you are building another team in the future.

Once you've gotten the most out of your RMT thread, tested your team, and taken care of problems with certain opposing Pokémon, you've finished your team! Congratulations! Now you get to battle and ladder with a solid team and have fun doing it. If any new problems emrge, you can always retrace your steps to get the problem fixed.

VI. Closing Comments

That concludes this guide on team building, and I hope you found it helpful! Team building can be a long and even painful process, so hopefully this gave you some insight into how to make it a smoother and more fun process. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Good luck, and happy battling!

mystletainn

Also Known As:Lucas, Britney Spears, Lukey, Lucius, That One Pink Staff Member

What are EVs?
-First off, what are EVs is the first question you'll ask. EVs are called Effort Values. Effort Values are given for defeating Pokemon. The Effort Values depend on a Pokemon. For example, Starly gives 1 Speed Effort Value for defeating it. Once you get 4 Effort Values in a stat, it will increase by 1 when you level up. So, if you defeat 4 Starlys, you'll get +1 to your speed stat. The maximum EVs a Pokemon can get in a single stat is 255. This will make your stat increase by about 63. When you're level 100, and you've defeated Starlys to get 255 speed EVs, and compare yourself to a level 100 who hasn't been EV trained in Speed you'll have about 63 more speed than the other. The maximum EVs you can get total is 510. Meaning you can max out 2 stats on your Pokemon.

How can I speed up EV training?
-You might be asking, defeating 255 Starlys isn't worth the time of getting the 63 boost in speed. So there are a few items that can boost EV training. The Macho Brace doubles the EVs gained from a Pokemon. When your Pokemon battling another is holding the Macho Brace it will gain double of the EVs that the Pokemon would normally give off. Say you have a Chimchar, and it's fighting a Starly, Chimchar is holding the Macho Brace and it defeats the Starly, the Chimchar will not only get 1 Speed Effort Value, but 2 because it is holding the Macho Brace. There are a few more items that help with EV training as well. I'll list them below.

Items that boost EV training
-Power Anklet --- boosts Speed EV training. When defeating Pokemon who give speed EVs the Power Anklet gives +4 in speed. For example, if you defeat a Starly you'll get 5 EVs in speed, one for initially defeating the Starly and four because your Pokemon is holding the Power Anklet

-Power Bracer --- boosts Attack EV training. When defeating Pokemon who give attack EVs the Power Bracer gives +4 in attack. For example, if you defeat a Machop you'll get 5 EVs in attack, one for initially defeating the Machop and four because your Pokemon is holding the Power Bracer

-Power Weight --- boosts HP EV training. When defeating Pokemon who give HP EVs the Power Weight gives +4 in HP. For example, if you defeat a Bidoof you'll get 5 EVs in HP, one for initially defeating the Bidoof and four because your Pokemon is holding the Power Weight.

-Power Belt --- boosts Defense EV training. When defeating Pokemon who give Defense EVs the Power Belt gives +4 in Defense. For example, if you defeat a Geodude you'll get 5 EVs in Defense, one for initially defeating the Geodude and four because your Pokemon is holding the Power Belt.

-Power Lens --- boosts Sp. Attack EV training. When defeating Pokemon who give Sp. Attack EVs the Power Lens gives +4 in Sp. Attack. For example, if you defeat a Ghastly you'll get 5 EVs in Sp. Attack, one for initially defeating the Ghastly and four because your Pokemon is holding the Power Lens.

-Power Band --- boosts Sp. Defense EV training. When defeating Pokemon who give Sp. Defense EVs the Power Band gives +4 in Sp. Defense. For example, if you defeat a Tentacool you'll get 5 EVs in Sp. Defense, one for initially defeating the Tentacool and four because your Pokemon is holding the Power Band.

Each of these Power Items can be bought at the Battle Tower for 16 Battle Points each.

Those items like Calcium and Iron, it says they boost stats, does that have to do with EV training?
-In fact those items do. Every time you use one of those items you get 10 EVs. For example, HP Up, it will give 10 EVs per every one you use. You can only use a maximum of 10 each. If you use 10 HP Ups you'll get 100 EVs in HP, leaving you with only 155 more to go to reach your maximum EVs in HP. The items that boost this are:

You can find these items throughout the game, Pickup ability, buying them at Veilstone department store for 9,800 each, or using the Dowsing Machine App on your Poketch.

I have a Pokemon holding Exp. Share does it gain EVs too?
-Yes the Pokemon holding Exp. Share gains the same EVs as the one who's doing all the battling. If you have a Charizard in the front of your team who's defeating Starlys, and you also have a Squirtle in your team holding Exp. Share, both the Charizard and Squirtle will get 1 Speed Effort Value. Now, if you have the Charizard holding Macho Brace, and the Squirtle holding Exp. Share, the Squirtle will not get the same EVs as Charizard. Charizard gets 2 Speed EVs because it is holding Macho Brace, but Squirtle only still gets 1 Speed EV.

I obtained a virus called Pokérus (PKRS) what does it do?
-Pokérus helps with EV training. When you go to heal your Pokemon at the Pokecenter Nurse Joy tells you it's a virus and will go away eventually. Having Pokérus though, is a good thing. It doubles the EVs you get from a battle. It works basically the same as a Macho Brace, but you don't have to have a hold item, it just happens. You can hold items such as Macho Brace and have Pokérus at the same time to make EV training even faster, but I'll explain that later.

How do I get Pokérus?
-Pokérus is randomly obtained by defeating wild Pokemon or capturing them. You have a really rare chance of getting Pokérus, it's even rarer than finding a shiny Pokemon in the wild, which is a 1 in 8192 chance of seeing one. To keep Pokérus for a vast amount of time, put the Pokemon with Pokérus in your PC before midnight. This allows it to not go away. You can pass Pokérus from one Pokemon to the next. If you have a Pokemon in your first spot of your party and it has Pokérus, and you have a Pokemon in the second spot without Pokérus, eventually after defeating wild Pokemon the second Pokemon in your party will also get Pokérus. Now if you have a Pokemon in the PC with Pokérus you could always just pull it out and spread it to someone else to increase EV training.

My Pokemon doesn't have Pokérus anymore, instead it has a smiley face in it's stats. What does it mean?
-Don't worry, this only means that the Pokérus wore off. However you still have the effects of getting double the EVs from a value, you just can't spread Pokérus anymore. So that's why it's always great to keep a spare Pokemon in your PC with it who can spread it.

Now, here's where I will explain how the Pokérus + Item Combo works.

Defeating a Pokemon who gives 1 EV: Macho Brace + Pokérus. The Macho Brace doubles the EVs you get from a Pokemon who gives 1 EV, making it 2. Then since you have Pokérus, it doubles again making the EVs you get is 4. So from defeating a single Starly while having Pokérus and holding Macho Brace you will get 4 Speed EVs.

Defeating a Pokemon who gives 1 EV: Power Item + Pokérus. The Power Item adds +4 EVs you get from defeating a Pokemon. So if you defeat a Pokemon who gives 1 EV, then add + 4 it's 5 EVs from that single Pokemon. Then you have PKRS, which then doubles the 5 EVs to 10. So by defeating a single Starly, holding the Power Anklet, and having PKRS gives 10 Speed EVs.

Defeating a Pokemon who gives 2 EVs: Macho Brace + Pokérus. The Macho Brace doubles the EVs you get from a Pokemon who gives 2 EVs, making it 4. Then since you have Pokérus, it doubles again making the EVs you get is 8. So from defeating a single Staravia while having PKRS and holding Macho Brace you will get 8 Speed EVs.

Defeating a Pokemon who gives 2 EVs: Power Item + Pokérus. The Power Item adds +4 EVs you get from defeating a Pokemon. So if you defeat a Pokemon who gives 2 EVs, then add +4 it's 6 EVs from that single Pokemon. Then you have Pokérus which then doubles the 6 EVs to 12. So by defeating a single Staravia, holding the Power Anklet and having Pokérus gives 12 Speed EVs.

Defeating a Pokemon who gives 3 EVs: Macho Brace + Pokérus. The Macho Brace doubles the EVs you get from a Pokemon who gives 3 EVs, making it 6. Then since you have Pokérus, it doubles again making the EVs you get is 12. So from defeating a single Staraptor while having Pokérus and holding the Macho Brace you will get 12 Attack EVs.

Defeating a Pokemon who gives 3 EVs: Power Item + Pokérus. The Power Item adds +4 EVs you get from defeating a Pokemon. So if you defeat a Pokemon who gives 3 EVs, then add + 4 it's 7 EVs from that single Pokemon. Then you have Pokérus which then doubles the 7 EVs to 14. So by defeating a single Staraptor, holding the Power Bracer and having Pokérus gives you 14 Attack EVs.

How do I know how many EVs my Pokemon has?
-The only way to know how many EVs your Pokemon has is either by writing it down on a piece of paper and calculating it yourself or using the Counter App. on your Poketch. However, when you are done EV training there is a lady in the Sunnyshore city mart who will give your Pokemon an Effort Ribbon for completing it's EV training.

What level should I start EV training at?
-You can EV train at any level, but it's best to start out at a lower level so that you don't have to worry about not being able to EV train at level 100 anymore. When you EV train you don't get all the EVs right when you level up. It spans out until you reach level 100. So once you're level 100 it's almost imposible to EV train. You can EV train, but there's a trick that has to do with your PC, but I'm unsure about it, so we'll leave that out.

I messed up on my EV training, how can I restart?
-Well in the game there's special berries that most people call "Correction Berries". These Correction Berries are berries such as Pomeg. It makes a Pokemon happier, but lowers it's HP EVs by 10. You can keep using these berries until you get the message. "Pokemon became friendlier, however it's base HP cannot go lower." That means that your EVs in that stat have been reset to zero and you can EV train again, this time without messing up hopefully.

That basically covers all of EV training. If you have any questions feel free to ask me.

__________________

A nameless hero takes on Kanto...Kamex - Drill - Sleeper

mystletainn

Also Known As:Lucas, Britney Spears, Lukey, Lucius, That One Pink Staff Member

Table of Contents

Making a Rate My Team (RMT) Thread

After you have created your Pokémon team, you'll want to make it into a RMT post. However, posting six Pokémon and their moves will not be enough. This guide is here to help you make your RMT post as insightful and attractive as possible.

II Contents

II. Basic Elements & Rules

There are many elements every RMT post must have. Without any of them, the RMT post will be incomplete and harder to rate. You are required to include:

→ 6 Pokémon and information about each one (its item, trait/ability, EVs, nature, and moveset are all required)

Why? Obviously, this is so the team raters know not just what moveset your Pokémon are running, but also what hits they're supposed to take and what they're trying to outspeed.

→ An explanation of each Pokémon's moveset, strategy, and function(s) on the team

Why? If the team raters do not know what each Pokémon is trying to accomplish, then they will probably question the Pokémon's spot on the team (especially with sets that aren't very common).

→ An explanation of how the team functions as a whole (including potential problems, weaknesses, etc.)

Why? If the team raters do not know what your team as a whole is trying to accomplish, it's very difficult for them to make effective changes to your team.

→ A mention of what metagame the team is being played in (best included in the thread title)

Why? Obviously, this is to be sure team raters are in the right frame of mind while rating your team. Though the tier is usually fairly obvious, it is always a good thing to mention.

→ A mention of what you will not change on your team and what changes you will not accept

Why? If you won't change Scizor, then you might as well tell the raters before they rate rather than waiting until after to explain that Scizor won't be moved. On the same token, if you will only use Pokémon resembling dragons or BL Pokémon, telling raters in advance will let them know what they can't suggest to improve your team.

B. Other Consideration

Beyond what is absolutely required, there are many elements of a RMT post that greatly enhance the quality of the RMT post. Some of these elements include:

→ Threat list (a list of all major threats in the metagame from walls to sweepers and how the team is prepared to deal with each one of them)

Why? A threat list gives team raters insight into how you normally deal with the big threats your team has to face, and it helps to get weaknesses exposed and then dealt with. If you include a threat list, be sure to be honest with yourself; this means not pretending to have something covered. Weaknesses will be exposed by team raters anyways, so you might as well save them the time of finding the weaknesses for you by finding them yourself.

→ Team strategy explanation (a section that is there only to explain the strategy and synergy of your team)

Why? Your team's strategy is better communicated to team raters, who would otherwise have to look at each Pokémon's individual set comments to figure out how the team works. The explanation also allows team raters to more easily figure out where holes in the team's actual strategy are so they can be fixed.

→ Introduction

Why? An introduction is a nice way to start off any RMT post. It is usually just introducing the team's style or telling an anecdote about its creation, but it gives the RMT post some more personality.

→ Conclusion

Why? A conclusion is good to solidify any main ideas (and even small details) of your RMT post into team raters' minds, which they will likely keep in mind while rating your team.

C. Other Rules & Requirements

There are a few rules and requirements that have not yet been mentioned yet. These rules include:

→ Don't even bother creating a RMT post if you will not accept criticism or make serious changes, or if you only want to hear praise.

Why? You're only wasting peoples' time if you're only looking for your team to be praised as the Roman Empire of Pokémon. Your thread will just be closed. Be open to change, even if that means major revamps. Your team will not get any better if you refuse to accept that your team is going to have some weak points. If you disagree with raters' opinions, feel free to do so as long as you are using good logic and clear thinking. Being narrow minded is extremely silly.

→ Do not post your team before testing it extensively.

Why? The best team rater is the opposing team. Many weaknesses can be found and fixed just through testing your team. It will help make the team you post a more polished product, so less work will have to be done by both you and the team raters. It will also help you figure out what strategy fulfills your team's potential the most, which will help you in structuring it and making changes when necessary.

→ Do not copy somebody else's team from another forum and try to pass it off as your own.

Why? It is plagiarism, and it is wrong. So don't do it! Your thread will be locked, and people will think less of you. If you use somebody else's team, more power to you. Just don't act like it's your creation. I shouldn't even have to say this, yet people do it for some reason. [ Moderator note ] You can receive a four point PERMANENT infraction for Content Theft. So unless you want that stain on your record forever, don't commit plagiarism.

III Contents

III. Aesthetics

A. Artistic Elements

When it comes to making your RMT post look good, there are a lot of options at your disposal. You can go far beyond what most people post if you are willing to put in the extra effort. Your can include all kinds of different elements to make your post look however you might want it to look. Some of these elements include:

→ Pictures of each Pokémon directly above their information

Why? Pictures make the RMT post more colorful and visually appealing. They also make it easier for team raters to see with a glance what the members of the team are if they are looking back. They're fairly easy to implement, so they are always useful for any RMT post.

→ "At A Glance" section (the entire team's sprites posted horizontally in order at the top of the RMT post)

Why? As the name of this element suggests, it allows everybody to see your team with the glance of an eye. Like pictures, it makes the team more visually appealing, and it gives team raters an idea of what kind of team they should expect to be looking at. Be sure to use smaller pictures for this element!

Why? These elements draw attention to certain parts of your RMT post, whether it is titles, descriptions, or moves on one of your Pokémon. Of course, varying the colors and sizes of the font can make a RMT post more attractive, but be careful; when overdone, these elements will be more obnoxious and distracting than attractive, so use them wisely!

B. Art Resources

When making a RMT post, there are a few very helpful resources for making your RMT post the most gorgeous and lovely it can be. Some of these resources include:

Why? By simply searching the Pokémon you want and scrolling down your page, you will find sprites from every generation the Pokémon has appeared in. It also includes Platinum sprites, another useful resource for "At A Glance."

IV Contents

IV. Formatting

A. Formatting Rules

Even if you include all of the required information, if your format is a mess, it is useless to team raters. To prevents this, there are rules when it comes to formatting your RMT post. The formatting requirements/rules are:

→ Do not use very small or very large font sizes.

Why? Tiny font sizes are very difficult to read and are hard on one's eyes. Giant font sizes are equally annoying for raters to put up with. Both will likely reduce the amount of rates you get since raters will not want their eyes to bleed in the process of rating your team.

→ Do not use very bright or obnoxious colors for the text.

Why? Bright and obnoxious text colors (yellow...), like tiny or giant font sizes, will be very hard on peoples' eyes, and raters will almost inevitably ignore your RMT post. Black oo dark greens, blues, or purples should be used instead.

→ Do not clutter everything together

Why? A cluttered RMT post is almost impossible to read, so your team will not likely receive any rates. Using spacing will make your RMT post much easier to read, and it will obviously look better on top of that.

→ Do not use center or right alignment for your RMT.

Why? Right and center aligned RMT posts are very difficult to read, so keep everything aligned to the left. It's much easier for raters to read and refer back to as they type out their rates.

→ Put all of the sections and elements of your RMT post in a logical order.

Why? Putting the "At A Glance" element after the in-depth look of the team just doesn't make sense, and it makes your RMT post look like an unprofessional mess. Putting everything in a logical order makes your RMT post easier to read.

B. Standard Format

This is the almost exclusively used format that is used for RMT posts everywhere. It's the most organized and the easiest to understand, and other formats are often distracting and are usually much more messy. If you open the team builder on ShoddyBattle and use the "Export To Text" function, you will get an adequate format to use in your RMT post. If you choose not to do that, then you should apply this format (or a similar variation) to all Pokémon in your RMT post:

NOTE: With larger pictures (like ones from Arkeis), it is a good idea to leave a space between the picture and the Pokémon information to keep things spaced out. With sprites, spaces are usually not needed.

Set Comments: This is your typical SR suicide lead Azelf. Stealth Rock is important to set up right away to open up a sweep for Lucario or Gyarados, so it is important that the rocks are put into play right away. Psychic is a reliable STAB attack (especially against leading Gengar), and Fire Blast is great for hammering Bronzong. Explosion is great with Azelf's 125 base attack, and it makes a great move to go out on. It also takes out or severely weakens leading Gyarados (depending on the EVs it is running), which helps open up a Lucario sweep since Gyarados is a common counter. Azelf is extremely important in getting the team off to a fast start and opening up a sweep for the barn full of sweepers this team possesses. It isn't Azelf's standard set for nothing.

Gyarados is a total beast of a physical sweeper. After one Dragon Dance, almost nothing stops it. Gyarados is also meant to set up Electivire by drawing in electric attacks from Vaporeon or Uxie, and then Electivire gets a speed boost from Motor Drive switching in. Still, sweeping is its main function. One of its jobs is to soften up Vaporeon (even if this means sacrificing itself) so that MixApe can come in and sweep. Gyarados can also be saved for the late game game rather than be used in the early game to soften up opponents. This is almost a guaranteed sweep, as it is hard enough to beat Gyarados with its counters around. Without them, Gyarados runs wild.

V. Example RMT Posts

Now that you know what to include in your RMT post, how to make it look good, and how to format your information, you have all of the tools you need to make a RMT post! However, for extra guidance, some examples of superb RMT posts are here for you to use as a reference. Some of these examples include:

VI. Closing Comments

Thank you for reading this guide. Remember, RMT posts are what keep the forum afloat, so do your part and make yours worthwhile! This will ensure that the forum remains active with high quality posts and discussions. Good luck making your team into a fabulous RMT post!

☆ More Compiled Guides

Battling is fun, but you have always got to play fair. Certain advantages that the opponent may have might not be as fair. This is why there are Battle Clauses. Battle Clauses are rules that you must abide to to battle. Of course, there are numerous clauses and you don’t have to turn every clause on. Just make sure you and your opponent agree on which clauses to follow before the battle begins. The following list consists of the common clauses and the description of the clauses:

Evasion Clause - This clause prohibits the use of any moves solely used to alter a Pokémon’s accuracy or evasion. This means that all moves like Double Team and Sand-Attack will be banned. However, if an offensive move has a side effect of tampering with the opponent’s accuracy / evasion, then it may still be used (e.g. Mud Slap is still allowed).

Freeze Clause - This clause prohibits when two or more Pokémon are frozen at once on the same team. Please note, that if a frozen Pokémon faints when it was frozen, you are able to freeze another Pokémon.

Sleep Clause - Similar to the Freeze Clause, the Sleep Clause prohibits when two or more Pokémon on the same team are frozen at the same time. Please note, that if a sleeping Pokémon faints when it was sleeping, you are able to induce sleep to another Pokémon. Note, that if the user induces sleep to itself (such as using Rest), it does NOT count as a true sleeping Pokémon, thus making it possible to have more than one Pokémon asleep on the same team at the same time.

Species Clause - Though rarely violated, this clause prohibits the use of two or more Pokémon of the same species to be put on the same team. For example, when this clause is in effect, two Garchomps are not allowed to be on the same team.

Items Clause - This clause prohibits when two or more Pokémon are holding the same exact item on the same team. This excludes the use of Trick, Thief, Covet, Recycle, or any other moves that deal with the altering of one’s held item.

Selfdestruct Clause - Neither side is able to use Explosion or Selfdestruct using their last Pokémon.

☆ CRITICAL HITS

Have you ever scored a critical hit? Critical hits are somewhat rare occurances within a battle. What critical hits will do is that they will double the amount of damage that you would normally inflict on the opponent. They rely completely on luck to occur, and are decided completely at random using a critical-hit-ratio.

Critical hits will ignore all defensive stat boosts from the opponent and hit with double the power than normal. Because of the reason that it ignores any defensive stat boosts, it often can be the ending point of a Calm Mind stalling match.

Critical Hits function in stages, much like your regular stats do. Similar to how Meditate boosts your attack stat, the move Focus Energy will raise your critical-hit-ratio. Critical-hit-ratio is the chance that you have each turn of scoring a critical hit on the opponent. That's right, Critical hits function in stages too. There are ways to boost those stages. What boosting those stages will do is that they will increase your critical-hit-ratio every time you boost a stage. A normal Pokémon with no critical-hit-ratio boosts will have a 6.25% chance of scoring a critical hit every turn. However, some Pokémon can even get to 50% chance of scoring critical hits each turn! 50% is the maximum chance you can get. Here is a chart of each stage and their critical-hit-ratio:

Stage 1: 6.25%Stage 2: 12.5%Stage 3: 25%Stage 4: 33.3%Stage 5: 50%

Now here's a thought: how exactly do you boost all the way to Critical hit stage 5? There are numerous ways. Some moves already have a critical-hit ratio at stage 12.5 (whenever in the move's description you see "high critical hit ratio", that means the move has an automatic 12.5% chance at the start of each battle instead of the normal 6.25% chance.) Using the Lansat berry will raise your Pokémon's stage by one when the holder's HP is below 25%. Razor Claw and Scope Lens boost all move's critical-hit-ratio by one stage, as does the move of Focus Energy.

Special abilities that a Pokémon have can effect the critical-hit factor. The ability of Super Luck double's the critical hit ratio stage (e.g. if it normally is 1, it becomes 2, if it normally becomes 2 it becomes 4). The ability of Sniper effects the critical-hit-ratio factor two: whenever a critical hit is scored, the attack's power is tripled instead of doubled.

☆ WEATHER EFFECTS

Weather: Sunshine - A Fire Type move’s Base Power is multiplied by 1.5 (e.g. Fire Blast(120) becomes 180 power in the sun) - Water Type moves Base power is multiplied by 0.5 (e.g. Hydropump(120) becomes 60 power in the sun. - Solarbeam does not require a turn to charge. - Thunder’s accuracy is reduced to 50%. - Synthesis, Morning Sun, and Moonlight recover 100% of the user’s HP. - Pokémon with the Chlorophyll Ability have their total speed doubled. - Pokémon with the Dry Skin Ability lose HP every turn. - Cherrim increases Attack and Special Attack by changing its forme using Flower Gift Ability. - Pokémon with the Leaf Guard Ability have protection from status afflictions. - Pokémon with the Solar Power Ability have their Special Attack raised by HP decreased every turn. - Castform changes into a Fire Pokémon using Forecast Ability. - Weather Ball’s Power is 100 and becomes a Fire Type.

Weather: Raining - Water Type moves have their base power multiplied by 1.5 (e.g. Hydropump (120) becomes 180 power in the rain). - Fire type moves have their base power multiplied by 0.5 (e.g. Fire Blast (120) becomes 60 power in the rain.). - Solarbeam requires two turns to charge instead of one. - Synthesis, Morning Sun, and Moonlight recover 25% of user’s HP. - Pokémon with Dry Skin Ability recover HP every turn. - Pokémon with the Hydration Ability cannot be afflicted with status (cured from status). - Pokémon with the Rain Dish Ability have 1/16 of their maximum HP recovered each turn. - Pokémon with the Swift Swim Ability have their Speed doubled. - Castform transforms into a Water type Pokémon using Forecast Ability. - The attack Weather Ball's poweris 100and becomes a water type move.

Weather: Hail - Pokémon that are not Ice typed are damaged each turn. - Blizzard’s accuracy is increased to 100% and can break through Protect/Detect 25% of the time (D/P only!). - Synthesis, Morning Sun, and Moonlight recover 25% of the user’s HP. - Pokémon with the Ice Body Ability have 1/16 of their HP recovered each turn. - Pokémon with the Snow Cloak ability have their evasion boosted by 20%. When hailing outside of battle, if the Pokémon with the Snow Cloak ability is at the head of the party, wild encounter rate is reduced by 50% - Castform transforms into an Ice type Pokémon using Forecast. - The attack Weather Ball is Power is 100 and becomes the Ice type.

Weather: Sandstorm - Pokémon that are not Rock, Ground, or Steel have their HP reduced each turn. - Rock type Pokémon’s Special Defense is multiplied by 1.5. (DP Only!) - Solarbeam’s power is reduced. - Thunder’s accuracy is reduced to 50%. - Synthesis, Morning Sun, and Moonlight recover 25% of the user’s HP. - Pokémon with the Sand Veil Abiltiy have their evasion boosted by 20%. When the Pokémon with Sand Veil is in the head of your party in a sandstorm area, the wild encounter rate is decreased by 50%. - Weather Ball’s attack Power is 100 and becomes a Rock type.

Fog - Fog cannot be activated through a move. It can be cleared using Defog. - All Pokémon’s accuracy is reduced.

So here’s a thought: have you ever seen your Pokémon get caught with a status affliction? For instance, your Pokémon becomes paralyzed and it can’t move. Has that ever happened to you before? This page will contain a detailed chart about what each status affliction is and what it’s effects are.

Paralysis: Pokémon under the paralyze condition will have their speed halved. They also will not be able to attack 25% of the time, which is why you sometimes see Pokémon is paralyzed! It can’t move! The paralyze condition is most commonly inflicted through electric attacks and the move Stun Spore. The speed drop of the Paralyze condition is nullified by the ability Quick Feet. The Paralyze condition will activate the ability Guts.

Poison: Pokémon under the Poison condition will have their HP reduced by 1/8 of the maximum HP every turn. Also outside of the game, it will take down 1HP from your Pokémon for every four steps you take. Poison condition activates guts, and does not affect Pokémon that are of the Steel or Poison type. Pokémon with the Poison Heal ability will have their HP restored by 12% of the maximum HP each turn. Badly Poisoned: Pokémon under the badly poisoned condition will have their HP reduced each turn, however there is a twist to it. Badly Poisoned’s HP reduction will gradually increase each turn. For example, for the first turn, the Pokémon will take 1/16 of the max HP damage, then it will take 2/16, then 3/16, and so on. After an in-game battle is over, the badly poisoned condition will revert to the normal Poisoned condition. This status ailment is only caused by the moves Toxic, Poison Fang, and two layers of Toxic Spikes.

Burned: Pokémon under the Burn condition will have their HP reduced by 12% of the maximum each turn. They will also have their Attack stat halved, causing physical-based moves to do less damage. The Attack stat drop is nullified by the ability Guts, which has previously caused a lot of confusion. Fire type and Pokémon with the ability of Water Veil cannot be burned by fire moves, but however CAN in fact be burned by the move Tri Attack.

Frozen: Pokémon under the freeze condition cannot attack. For each turn, the frozen Pokémon will have a 10% chance of defrosting. When a frozen Pokémon is hit with an offensive Fire type move, the frozen Pokémon will be defrosted. Frozen Pokémon in the sunny weather will not defrost quicker. A frozen Pokémon can only attack if they are using a fire type move, which will defrost themselves and deal damage back to the opponent.

Sleep: Pokémon under the sleep condition cannot attack unless they are using the moves Snore and/or Sleep Talk. Sleep condition is like a shorter Freeze condition, but it is much easier to inflict. The Sleep condition will always last a minimum of 1 turn and a maximum of 7 turns. Including the initial turn, a Pokémon with Rest can induce sleep to itself for three turns.

Infatuation: A Pokémon under the infatuation condition cannot attack 50% of the time. A Pokémon can only be under the Infatuation condition if it was inflicted by a Pokémon of the opposite gender. The infatuation condition is not passed through Baton Pass. The Infatuation condition is lost of either of the Pokémon leave the battle field in some way. Pokémon that are genderless or have the Oblivious ability are immune to this ailment.

Confused: A Pokémon under the Confused condition cannot attack 50% of the time. To make matters worse, when the Pokémon cannot attack it will instead hurt itself. The damage it will take will vary upon the attack stat – the higher the attack, the more damage the attacking Pokémon will take. The confused status condition disappears when the confused Pokémon leaves the field in any way.

Cursed: A Pokémon under the Cursed condition will have their HP reduced by 1/4 of their max HP every turn. The Cursed status condition disappears whenever the cursed Pokémon leaves the field in any way.

Immunity Modification: If the defending opponent has raised its evasion stat, using Odor Sleuth / Miracle Eye / Foresight will cause the attacking Pokémon to ignore the evasion boost. In addition, Odor Sleuth and Foresight will allow normal and fighting attacks to connect to ghost Pokémon. Miracle Eye will allow psychic attacks to connect to dark Pokémon, both hitting for neutral damage.

Flinch: Flinch is a one-turn status affliction that disables the attacking Pokémon from attacking for one turn. A Pokémon can only be flinched if it is hit with a move with a flinch rate or the opponent is holding a King’s Rock. Logically, a Pokémon can only be flinched if the opponent attacks first.

Seeded: Seeded status can be only inflicted through the use of the move Leech Seed. The defending Pokémon will have their HP reduced by 1/8 of their maximum HP amount, while the attacking Pokémon will have their HP restored by however many HP points that Leech Seed inflicted. Grass type Pokémon are immune to this condition. The seeded status disappears when the defending Pokémon leaves the field in any way.

Nightmare: Nightmare is a status condition that can only be afflicted while the defending Pokémon is asleep. Pokémon under the Nightmare status condition will lose 1/4 of their maximum HP every turn. However, this status effect is lost when the defending Pokémon wakes up or leaves the field in any way.

☆ STAT BOOSTS

Ninjasks attack sharply rose! What does that mean? Have you ever wondered? The Pokémon games calculate attack damage using the total attack / special attack of your Pokémon vs. the opponents total defense / special defense. Did you know that moves like Swords Dance can effect the amount of damage that a Pokémon does?

Pokémon games function in-battle stats in stages. If your game says, Ninjasks Speed rose!, that means Ninjasks Speed stat adds half of its normal speed to the Speed stat (meaning if Ninjask had 100 speed before, Ninjask would have 150 speed after its speed stat rose). These moves can be extremely useful at times. Each stage that a stat gets boosted by adds half of the stat to the stat. That means if Ninjask uses Swords Dance, Ninjask doubles its Attack stat! Moves like these are vital for taking hits and dealing damage. Sweepers use moves like Swords Dance to deal physical damage in harsh blows. Note, that all stat boosts are eliminated after the Pokémon switches out, exits the battle, or is in any way removed from the battle field. The move Haze also eliminates all stat boosts from both sides.

As said before, each stage that a stat is boosted by means adding half of the stat to the stat. Here is a chart showing how much a stat is boosted:

Six Stages is the maximum you can reach. If you continually try to raise it beyond 6 stages, you will get a message saying (Pokémon A's [stat] cant go any higher!). Which means it didnt do anything.

☆ PRIORITY MOVES

Have you ever seen a slower Pokémon strike first? You must be thinking, how in the world can Weavile’s Ice Shard strike before my Ninjask!? It all has to do with Speed priority. Some moves have Speed Priority, which makes them strike first. What will happen if two moves of speed priority are used in the same turn – who will strike first? Some have more speed priority than others. There are 13 different stages of Speed Priority. The higher your speed priority is, the more you will strike first. Of course, switching out Pokémon always happens before any field moves happen. When two moves of the exact same speed priority is used on the same turn, the Pokémon with the higher speed stat will strike first. The following is a list of which moves have which speed priority.

Stage 0Any move that isn’t mentioned in this article has Stage 0 priority.

Stage -1- Vital Throw

Stage -2No Attacks are of Stage -2 Priority

Stage -3- Focus Punch

Stage -4- Avalanche- Revenge

Stage -5- Counter- Mirror Coat

Stage -6- Roar- Whirlwind

Stage -7- Trick Room

☆ ENTRYHAZARDS

Entry hazards are moves, kind of like traps, that you can set onto the opponents field. Here’s how it works, you set some entry hazards onto the opponents team and whenever the opponent switches a Pokémon in, that Pokémon will get injured by the entry hazards and take so much damage. There are different kinds of entry hazards, three to be specific.

SpikesThe oldest entry hazard of the three. The user can set up to three layers of Spikes onto the opponent’s field. The more layers you put, the more damage the opponent will take in from switching in. One layer is put down each time you use the move Spikes.

But please note, any Pokémon that aren’t affected by ground effects will take no damage from Spikes when they switch in. This means that all Pokémon with Levitate, or are of the Flying type, will NOT get effected by Spikes.

Stealth RockThis entry hazard functions a little bit differently. This entry hazard uses type matchups to its advantage, so if the opponent that is switching in and it is weak to rock, it will take more damage. Unlike Spikes, you can only set up 1 layer of Stealth Rock. But you can deal up to 50% damage to the opponent if they are x4 weak to Rock moves.

Stealth Rock deals damage to Flying types and Levitaters, which Spikes can’t. It’s great for downing Pokémon like Ninjask.

Toxic SpikesThis is the final entry hazard. Toxic Spikes will not deal direct damage when the opponent switches in. Instead, it will give the Poison condition to whoever switches in. You can set up two layers of Toxic Spikes. 1 Layer - Poison status condition 2 Layers - Badly Poison status condition (similar to the move TOXIC)

Note, that whenever a Poison Pokémon switches in on a field with Toxic Spikes active, the Toxic Spikes will disappear, as if the Pokémon has absorbed them.

Rapid SpinThough this move does not have anything to do with setting up Entry Hazards, it is the only way to get them off of the field. Once the entry hazards are set on your field, you can’t get them off without the use of Rapid Spin. When you use Rapid Spin, every single entry hazard on your side of the field will disappear, and the opponent has to set them up all over again. Rapid Spin also removes Leech Seed, the Seeded status, away from the field.

☆ TYPE MATCHUPS

Pokemon attacks can be either supereffective, regularly effective, not-very-effective, or can deal no damage at all (immune). Below is a chart to show you which attacks are how much effective against another type.

But wait! There are dual types! How do we calculate those? You would take the effectiveness of both of the defending types and add them together. Sound complicated? Here’s an example:

Example #1Seed Bomb [GRASS] on Salamence [DRAGON/FLYING]

Since Grass moves deal x0.5 to Dragon types, you will throw in x0.5 into your equation. Since Grass moves deal x0.5 to Flying types, you will throw in another x0.5 into your equation. To avoid confusion, Seed Bomb’s base power is 80.

Your equation: 80 x 0.5 x 0.5 = 20

As you can see, both the Grass to Dragon matchup and the Grass to Flying matchup is in the equation. In conclusion, Seed Bomb will have a power of 20 when attacking a Salamence. Not very Effective matchup.<br><br>

Example #2Iron Head [STEEL] on Walrein [WATER/ICE]

Since Steel moves deal x2 to Ice types, you will throw in x2 into your equation.Since Steel moves deal x0.5 to Water types, you will throw in x0.5 into your equation.To avoid confusion, Iron Head’s base power is 80.

Your equation: 80 x 2 x 0.5 = 80

As you can see, both the Steel to Ice and the Steel to Water matchup is included in the equation. In conclusion, Iron Head will have a base power of 80 when attacking a Walrein. Regularly effective matchup.

How do you calculate the exact damage that your move is going to deal to your opponent? Well, of course, there's a formula, but this one is quite complicated. It is much more convenient if you use a online damage calculater. It's easy; you just type in the species, moves, stats, etc. of you and your opponent and calculate the damage! Click Here for a Damage Calculator!

☆ Guide to Prediction

First of all, what is prediction? Well, prediction is one of the most important aspects of competitive battling. As its name goes, prediction is the ability to predict what your opponent is going to do.

While the bulk of competitive battling relies on EV training, IV breeding, Natures, etc., please do not forget that Pokémon battling is very well a mind game. Prediction is what separates the good from the mediocre.

To master prediction, you need to be able to put yourself into your opponents shoes and think: "What will I do next?" That's predicting your opponent's next move. Now after you have a good idea of what your opponent is going to do next, then you need to figure out a way to counteract his action. This can put them in a very difficult situation.

Prediction: The ability to predict the opponent's next move; this separates the good from the mediocre.

☆ BASIC PREDICTION

Imagine this:

You have a Blissey out on the field, while it is threatened and pinned against a Machamp.

Now use your common sense; what do you think your opponent is going to do next? Remember, you have to put yourself in your opponent's shoes. The most common choice that the opponent would do is command his / her Machamp to use Dynamicpunch (Why? Because it will score a surefire OHKO). Now thats it...

You predicted a Dynamicpunch that would come from Machamp! So now what? You need to figure out a way to counteract the Dynamicpunch before it hits. A good way to counteract an incoming Dynamicpunch is to pin the opponent with a resist or one of Machamp's counters. Spiritomb should do it.

You now call back Blissey and swap it out for Spiritomb. Now, the Dynamicpunch is unleashed from Machamp, expecting to land a OHKO on Blissey but... it hits Spiritomb instead.

That there is an example of basic prediction. It's pretty easy, but then we can get more complicated onto predicting predictions and other stuff. Spiritomb takes no damage from it; you've outsmarted your opponent.

☆ PREDICTING PREDICTIONS

Confusing name, no? It will make sense once you get the hang of it. Basically, this has to tie to one point: Your opponent knows how to predict too.

How do you counter him? Well, you have to predict what he is going to predict, and counter his action respectively. Confusing? Well, let me give you an example...

Let's take a situation somewhat similar to the previous, shall we?

You have a Machamp out against your opponent's Blissey. You know that your opponent has a Spiritomb in his / her party.

So once again, put yourself in your opponent's shoes. Obviously a Dynamicpunch would be predicted from a Machamp to a Blissey. Therefore you can assume that Spiritomb would switch in to avoid the Dynamicpunch; so what you need to do is counteract or take advantage of the predicted Spiritomb switch-in.

So basically, you're predicting that the opponent will predict a Dynamicpunch (and switch to Spiritomb).

Now, this can often lead to a problem called overprediction. It is basically when you predict too much, or you are overthinking the situation and it falls short of perfect or goes out of control. You might predict something complex when the opponent might just aim for a basic expected move. This factor is hard to control and avoid; the best you can do is to think through the situation each time you make a prediction. Put yourself in your opponents shoes, and think through the situation carefully. "Is the risk of prediction really worth it?"

☆ PLAYING ITSAFE

Play your predictions safely. This is a key factor to avoid overprediction. Is the attempted prediction actually worth it? Sometimes the risk is too high. Maybe an example would be suitable for this situation.

Your opponent has a Swampert with 4% HP left and you have a Scizor on the field.

You don't want to take a Torrent boosted Hydro Pump so Swords Dancing is out of the question, but you don't want to switch, either. That leaves you with two choices: use the less effective Brick Break or your stronger X-Scissor. Both will obviously knock out Swampert, but what if your opponent switches instead, wanting to leave the Swampert as death fodder for later? You know your opponent has a Heatran, which won't mind taking an X-Scissor. In this situation, using the less effective Brick Break is a considerably safer move to use than X-Scissor as you'll be able to punish the in-coming Heatran if your opponent decides to switch.--
When you are involved with battling, please remember to use common sense. Be aware of some red herring! If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Lets take the following event for an example:

You have a Salamence in play. While it uses Dragon Dance, your opponent sends in a Starmie. You realize that your opponent has a Mamoswine with Ice Shard in his / her party, but he / she decides to switch in Starmie instead.

Why on earth would your opponent decide to do that? It looks like you've cornered your opponent at this point, with Starmie having no chance to escape. Is it really? Use your common sense - there is NO reason for your opponent to perform such an action unless your opponent has a certain gain from it. In this case, Starmie obviously holds a Choice Scarf, which is the only reason Starmie would be sent in on a DD Salamence.

☆ TIMING AND RECORDING

You can sometimes predict the future of the situation at hand when you record information down. A few examples are when it comes to PP Stalling and moves like Sucker Punch. This will give you the information of how long you need to stall to turn the tide around. You can also write down some information and decode some vital clues such as the stats of a Pokémon by recording "this outsped that" and such.

Also, you should be aware of the different strategies that the opponent has. Scouting your opponent is a key to success when you know what your opponent has to bring to the field. What moves can the opponent use? Well, scout out your opponent, primarily with moves like Substitute, Rest, and Protect. Doing so will fulfill you with knowledge about the possibilities that the opponent may use against you.

Along with scouting, try to decode and analyze your opponent's battle style. You should be aware of their strategies and make your predictions accordingly. Is your opponent the high risk, high reward kind of battler? Or is he / she a slow and steady battler? Make your predictions accordingly and always try to put yourself one step ahead of your opponent. Put yourself in their shoes.

☆ CONCLUSION

The absolute best you can do is to put yourself in your opponent's shoes, and think through the situation using both sides and views. You can figure out what the next move is, and use it to your advantage.

Use the element of surprise to your advantage too. It is very hard to predict a Pokémon's next move if a moveset is of an unusual or unpredictable nature. Rare and versatile movesets, etc. They are all good ways to make yourself immune to the opponent's prediction.

All in all, prediction is a vital factor to competitive battling. Master it and it will put you at the top of your game. Remember, think through the situation before acting and you'll be fine. Good luck ~

These are the general ways to protect yourself from threats in the metagame and also eliminate them:

→ Counter
When it comes to forcing a threat out and stopping it sweeping, counters are probably the best you are going to find as they last the longest and often have recovery. A counter is a Pokémon that can switch into an foe Pokémon at little or no risk to itself and either force said Pokémon to switch or threaten to KO it if it decides to stay in. Counters are often heavily defensively EV'd (see most walls) to take hits against what they are supposed to counter. However because everything hits very hard in DPPt and thus a 100% surefire counters are often hard to find for certain threats. Trying to counter everything is often not a smart way to go about things as you will usually be better off trying to check threats you cant counter. By reacting to what the foe does you are not executing a strategy of your own and are quite literally sitting there doing nothing apart from trying to counter them. This is often the reason people end up with team that have little synergy which are doomed to failing because they are too concerned with trying to counter everything and end up with little offensive power or defensive ability themselves and are prone to getting overwhelmed by both foe full out stall and full out offensive teams, who do have a central strategy. A counter is (or is supposed to be) a 100% risk free switch in to an opposing threat, for example Hariyama is a Tyranitar counter and Gliscor is a Heracross counter.

→ Check
A check is a Pokémon that can come in on a foe threat to, if you will, "check" to see what the opponents Pokémon does and determines how you deal with said threat from there on out. Checks are often more useful on offensive teams than counters as you don't have to go right out of your way to try and find a surefire counter for something so you can still carry on your offensive gameplan without crippling your team offensively. These are not 100% surefire counters but can switch in on the majority of the threat in questions moves, often its main STAB moves, with ease and again drive the threat in question away or threaten to KO it if it stays in and often outspeed the foe as well. An example of a check is Lucario and Scizor as Tyranitar checks and Salamence as a Lucario check.

→ Revenge Killer
These are also seen mostly on offensive teams but can be seen elsewhere too. They come in if one of your Pokémon faints to drive the foe away or defeat it if it stays in. They are best used as an insurance policy/safety net against threats if they get past your actual counter or check. There are various forms of revenge killers e.g. Priority (Ice Shard, Bullet Punch, Extremespeed, Sucker Punch etc), Choice Scarfers (Scarf Tran and Scarf Flygon for example) and Trappers (Dugtrio, Magnezone, Trapinch, Wobbuffet etc. and any Pursuit user really). As revenge killers can also make makeshift checks if a threat gets past your actual counter or check they give you as a team builder less pressure to try and surefire counters to everything. Here are a few examples of revenge killing:

And in this last example Wigglytuff dies so I can get in my Mamoswine for free to Ice Shard to thus KO the Salamence.

→ Lures
A lure is basically a Pokémon that preys on what your opponent expects but does something different to catch them off guard, just as the name says to "lure" them in. What would normally be a great switch in turns into an awful one. Lures are often used on offensive teams to remove threats for other Pokémon on the team to possibly open up a sweep. An example of a lure would be an offensive Suicune with Calm Mind/Surf/Hidden power Electric/Ice Beam with a Life Orb. Normal switch ins to Suicune are often things like Zapdos, Gyarados, Celebi, Vaporeon etc. expecting a defensive normally less offensively threatening set and this Suicune can potentially OHKO all of them. For example if you lure in Zapdos with this set and OHKO it with a Calm Mind Life Orb'd Ice Beam then your Scizor will have a much easier time posing a threat to the opponents team with its primary counter out of the way. Another example of a lure would be a Toxic and Substitute Heatran to "lure" in its normal counters of bulky waters to cripple them from behind a Substitute with Toxic. For example once a Vaporeon is poisoned things like Gyarados are free to rampage alot easier with its counter crippled.

→ Sacrifices/Death Fodder
This is not normally something newer players will do but it can help you win matches when played correctly. A sacrifice is exactly what it says, you switch into a Pokémon that will obviously kill your Pokémon to gift you a free switch in to drive the foe away almost the same effects as a revenge kill. You should NOT do this very often though as losing Pokémon for nothing is never a good thing. A good example of when to use death fodder is say a Salamence has just switched into your Lucario who is at full health and you have an Infernape at around 5hp left and a Mamoswine who is at full health too. Obviously you don't want to lose your Lucario, so the best thing to do would be switch in Infernape to be KO'd by the Salamence because its not going to be of use at that little hp and is going to die anyway regardless. This will also give you a free switch into your Mamoswine unharmed on the revenge kill to threaten to beat or at least drive the foe Salamence away.

By Dark_Azelf, major thanks to Aurafire, BeachBoy, Shen and Vance.

__________________

Since the beginning of time, man has sought to know the unimaginable. To shake hands with the intangible. To measure the abstract with concrete gauges, to fit the mind of the infinite within the imagination of the finite. Nevermore.

A Basic Guide to the Essentials of Stalling

Navigation Box

Introduction to Stall

Firstly stall is an art. It was a very rare playing style in late DP and early DPPt which few people could do successfully because of both its difficulty to build and use. Because stall is solely a defensive play style, it's often overshadowed in an offensive metagame. However, stall is starting to shine with the coming of Platinum, HG/SS, the addition of the Rotom formes, Latias moving down to OU, and other tricks for stall to utilize (see: things like Trick Scarfers. etc). This and the fact stall is being more original now and easier to use than ever before as people have stopped using the obi stall mold. It's a fact that the average battler cannot beat a well built and well played stall team, even the most decent players have trouble with it. Stall can often frustrate people when it's done correctly, there is a reason why many top battlers use this style as it is one of the most, if not THE most reliable playing styles, especially for laddering. The aim of stall is to wear the opponent down through walling them and forcing switches with walls, tanks and phazing moves which are punished through residual damage.

In addition to heavy stall, people are now using a lot of teams which are classified as psuedo / semi stall teams. These teams are often the same as full out stall, however they have a bulky sweeper and/or a Scarfer which fits in with the stall theme to benefit from the residual damage (see: CM + Roar Latias, Bulky Gyarados, CroCune or something like Sub and Charge Beam Rotom-A). Semi stall is quite different from heavy stall as in addition to actually using a sweeper, unlike heavy stall, it also uses scarfers / revenge killers and often forgoes things like Wish, Rapid Spin and Toxic Spikes for moves like Taunt and takes a much more aggressive approach to setting up the sweepers.

This is a guide as to how you can optimize your stalling potential and to give you some tips on how to build a successful stall team of your own.

Synergy

Stall isn't just about residual damage (though it is VERY important), like any other team it is also about synergy. Your team MUST be able to work together. It's all well and good about having very specific counters to things, but if one counter loses to miss prediction or "hax" your team MUST be able to pull together and stay strong. For example, if you have one MixApe counter and the rest of your team is hit for super effective damage by it this will NOT be successful. Likewise, if your team doesn't have any good resistances it will not work well, these are still extremely important so should be thought over during the team building process.

Stall is also about causing as many switches humanely possible, you WANT them to switch as many times as possible to wear them down with entry hazards, status, etc. Walling alone is not enough to win you matches and so causing switches is vital to your success and should be your prime focus. You want PHazing moves too to rack up the residual damage and getting as many things statused or crippled as you can will work massively in your favour. Just a note, even though stall is about residual damage and not outright attacking, you should still use attacking moves on your pokemon. This is often a mistake that newbies make when attempting stall, for example an Iron Defense / Amnesia / Toxic / Rest Registeel does not define stall and is a poor moveset. You want your Pokémon to be able to do at least SOME damage when called for and not be total set up fodder. Similarly you should not use Pokémon which are bad, have bad typing or are outclassed see : Torkoal as a spinner etc.

Sometimes people use Scarf revenge killers on stall teams to act as a safety net in case something breaks through your main counter / check. Scarfers also help your team absorb Tricks from enemy Choice item users easier so they won't cripple your team as badly. The most common Scarfers seen on stall are Scarf Rotom-A, Scarf Jirachi, and Scarf Tyranitar. The former two also stop last Pokémon sweeps (which are Pokémon who have Rest and a stat up move (see: CurseLax and CM Cune), as you cannot PHaze these if they are the last Pokémon, so nearly always ends in an automatic loss for you) by Tricking their Scarf onto them, thus effectively crippling them. So, there is a few niches filled without having to use Perish Song. Scarf Tyranitar on the other hand is a fantastic tool for disposing of many threats such as the Rotom formes, Latias, Gengar, and MixMence all become risk to being trapped by Pursuit + STAB super effective moves mind games. Not only that, but he brings in sandstorm too, so he is a pretty amazing asset to stall.

Get to Know the Types of Residual Damage

Stealth Rock: - Often hailed THE best move in the game, it's a Rock-type move which takes one turn to set up. While switching in, if the opposing Pokémon is neutral to Rock it takes 12.5% damage, if it is 2x weak to Rock it takes 25% damage, and if it is 4x weak to Rock it takes 50%, if it 2x resists Rock it takes 6% damage from it, and if it 4x resists Rock it takes 3% damage from it. Only Clefable takes no damage from Stealth Rock thanks to Magic Guard.

Why does this help stall? An entry hazard that hits pretty much everything bar one Pokémon, and only takes one turn to set up. A better question would be why wouldn't you want this move? Stealth Rock is a fantastic move to help you stall, keeping air bound offensive giants such as Salamence, Gyarados, and Zapdos in check is really too good to pass up. This move should be on every serious stall team, infact any team in general hands down.

There are MANY viable Pokémon who can use Stealth Rock, so it's just a matter of finding the ideal Pokémon who fits in your team well to set it up.

Spikes: - Spikes is a Ground-type move, and unlike Stealth Rock it can be stacked up to three times. One layer of Spikes will deal 12.5% damage, two will do 18.75%, and three will injure the Pokémon 25%. Only Flying-types, Pokémon with the Levitate ability, and Clefable are immune to these.

Why does this help stall? Another great move for stalling, which removes 25% health from all grounded pokemon when three layers are set up. This is a great way to wear the opponent's Pokémon down, but can be hard to set up three layers though the pay off is huge. Spikes is also able to be stacked with both Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes, which means it can strip off huge amounts of damage from the foe each time they switch into it. With Stealth rock and Spikes up, grounded foes are looking at ~37% damage each time they switch in as it is essentially a 3HKO. Again, this should be on all serious stall teams, Spikes are the pillar of stall, remember this.

Toxic Spikes: - Toxic Spikes is a Poison-type move with no base power. If one layer of Toxic Spikes is on the opposing field, your opponent's Pokémon are inflicted with regular Poison upon entry, and lose 12.5% in HP each turn. If two layers of Toxic Spikes are down, increasing Toxic poison is inflicted instead. Flying-types, Steel-types, Poison-types and Pokémon with the Levitate or Immunity abilities are immune to Toxic Spikes. Poison-types that are not immune to Ground will absorb Toxic Spikes upon entry and clear them from the field.

Why does this help stall? This is stall's answer to bulky Pokémon who are annoying to get rid of (see: things like Swampert), and is generally a great way to wear non-immune Pokémon down. The damage with your other entry hazards does add up quickly if they are taking Toxic poison damage in addition to the possible ~37% damage from your SR and Spikes and sandstorm / hail. If you are using Toxic Spikes, it is advised NOT to use other status moves bar Toxic (for Flying-type Pokémon who are immune to Toxic Spikes) on your stall team as they conflict. Again, Toxic Spikes is a good move, but not nearly as 100% needed as the other two entry hazards.

Sandstorm / Hail: - Both these weather effects do 6.25% damage each turn and with the possibility Spikes / SR is up, they really make life miserable for most sweepers. For example with sandstorm / hail and SR up, a LO Salamence loses 41% of its health from just switching in and attacking. The boost from each weather also makes the respective Pokémon it benefits even more powerful, StallRein would not be the same without Hail, and various Rock-types who receive the Sp. Def boost sandstorm grants would not be nearly as annoying to get rid of without sandstorm. Again, not required, but its there if you want more residual damage.

The only viable users that set these weather effects up is Abomasnow for hail, and Tyranitar and Hippowdon for sandstorm. However in UU / NU battles, Snover and Hippopotas are perfectly acceptable

What a Stall Team Should Contain or Consider

Entry Hazards (100% needed): - Without these your stall team would be useless, they are needed always, no exceptions. Spikes and Stealth Rock are the heart and soul of stall as explained above. Toxic Spikes aren't as required as the other two entry hazards, just make sure you have plenty of status on your team if you don't use them to cripple bulky Pokémon. Again though, I cannot emphasize how much Spikes and Stealth Rock are 100% needed on every stall team.

Removes Leech Seed from the user. Clears the user's side of Spikes, Stealth Rock, and Toxic Spikes. Frees the user from Bind, Clamp, Fire Spin, Magma Storm, Sand Tomb, Whirlpool, and Wrap. Has no effect if it hits a Ghost. Has no effect if it misses.

Having a Rapid Spin, is in my opinion one of the most important roles to fill on your stall team. Rapid Spin protects your team from entry hazards, there is nothing less fun than your team getting crippled badly by hazards. Basically, if you cannot remove their stacked entry hazards its pretty rough sailing and you will be hard pressed to even last long, never mind winning.

Spin Blocker / Anti-Spin / Ghost: - The ghost on every serious stall team that lets you keep your entry hazards. If you read the above you should of noticed this part:

Quote:

Has no effect if it hits a Ghost.

It is is pretty obvious as to why you would want that, a Ghost-type basically stops the foe from removing your hazards. Ghosts also are also excellent niche Pokemon too for stopping the over powerful Explosion and absorbing powerful fighting attacks like Close Combat, etc. When building your stall team this again is 100% required and I put emphasis on the 100%. In contrast, you should also figure out how you will deal with your opponents “Anti-Spin” too, if you can remove it you are nearly guaranteed the win if you can spin away their entry hazards and they can't remove yours.

Whichever Pokémon is active in the user's position at the end of the second turn recovers 50% of its maximum HP. If the Pokémon in the user's position is KOed on that turn, the Pokemon that switches in will not be healed by Wish.

Wish is always a great move to have, on the turn after you “cast” the Wish, you can switch (or stay in to take the Wish yourself, depending on the situation) and heal the Pokémon of your choosing! This also puts less pressure on you and can ease up prediction when switching into attacks to cushion the blows you take when switching in. Not needed if nearly everything has a recovery move on your team, but it's still a great move to have around, especially if you pack your team with things with no reliable recovery like Forretress and Swampert.

Toxic Spikes Absorber: - This basically means a Poison-type. They are not as required as some of the other niche roles (if you have a spinner or your team isn't bothered by Toxic Spikes), but if your team is extremely at risk from Toxic Spikes damage then you should seriously consider adding a grounded Poison-type. Just a note, Poison-type Pokémon with a second Flying-type, or with the Levitate ability such as Gengar, Weezing, and Crobat do not absorb Toxic Spikes unless equipped with an Iron Ball, but then lose their valuable Ground-type immunity.

Last Pokémon Sweeps: - Exactly what it says (sometimes called a "win condition"), last Pokémon with Rest and a stat up move (or any other Pokémon who have a way to bypass status and can stat up), are huge threats when played correctly. Imagine this scenario, you have beaten all your opponents team, and then out comes a CurseLax or a CM Cune and starts to stat up, you think you have beaten it, and then it Rests, this is basically GG as you cannot Phaze these if they are the last pokemon, so you nearly auto-lose. You need a way to stop this, fortunately there are several ways to do this and I shall list them for you. It is advised you carry one of these.

All Pokémon on the field faint after 3 turns. Even Pokemon that are in the invulnerable stage of Bounce, Dig, Dive, Fly, and Shadow Force are affected. If a Pokémon affected by Perish Song uses Baton Pass, whatever Pokémon is switched in will still be affected by Perish Song. The perish count will not be reset in that case. Switching a Pokémon out regularly or via U-turn will remove the effects of Perish Song from that Pokémon.
When using Baton Pass, the Perish Song count will be passed to the recipient.

Perish Song is a very good niche move, not only does it act as a last Pokémon stopper, as they will die in three turns after use, but it also acts as a stop to most Ingrain Baton Pass teams (read: without Mr. Mime due to Soundproof) as you cannot PHaze Ingrained Pokémon. Additionally, it is a decent general PHazing move in general.

Trick / Switcheroo Choice item User: - This is probably the easiest to fit onto your stall team as with of the introduction of Platinum, Trick was given to MANY Pokémon. Trick with a Choice item stops last Pokémon simply by locking them into one move, prevents them from Resting or healing, and switching moves so they are VERY easy to wear down now. Remember to keep your Choice item on your Tricker for as long as possible if they do have a threatening last Pokémon and don't use it unless you really need to!

Taunt + Toxic: - Taunt the opposing Pokémon's recovery / stat up move and then Toxic it to wear it down. Repeating Taunt when neccessary, so Toxic slowly destroys them since they can't heal. Again, there are really not many viable Pokémon who can use this combo effectively.

Causes the target to repeat the move it last used for 4-8 turns, with a 20% chance to last each length. If the target's move can target more than one of its opponents, the target will be chosen at random. If the target runs out of PP while Encored, the Encore will end regardless of how many turns it has been running for. If the target could not legally select the affected move, it will be forced to select Struggle. If a Pokemon which is switched in via Baton Pass also knows Baton Pass, it will be forced to select Baton Pass as its next attack if it is targeted by Encore before using another move. Similarly, if a Pokemon is switched in via U-turn and then targeted by Encore, it will be forced to use U-turn if it knows that move.
Encore will fail if the target has not selected a move since switching in; if the target tried and failed to use a move this turn (due to Sleep, Paralysis, recharging, etc) before being targeted with Encore; if the affected move is Transform, Mimic, Sketch, Mirror Move, Encore, or Struggle; if the target does not know the affected move; or if the affected move has zero PP remaining.

With HG/SS released, Encore was given out to a few Pokémon. Encore locks the enemy Pokémon into the move they used last (so a fast Encore user can act like a Trick Scarfer when used well), thus preventing it from healing, and again makes it easy to wear down. Sadly the users of this move are few and far between and even then, most of them cannot fit well into a stall oriented team.
Curse (ghost type): -

Quote:

Does 1/4 damage per turn at the cost of half the user's max HP if the user is a Ghost. The effect is removed when the target switches. The effect of this move is Baton Passable when used by a Ghost-type Pokemon on the Baton Passer.

Curse is a strange move and one not often seen as many people think its gimmicky on ghost types. However, it is quite reliable in stopping last Pokemon sweeps. Curse strips 25% of the users health off each turn which means they wont be lasting long. Curse is best used in conjunction with Rest on a ghost type as it costs you 50% of your health so with Rest that can easily be recovered. Secondly, Rest allows you to "stack" Curses, with each Curse you can pull off it adds 25% damage done at the end of each turn. So for example if you stack 2 Curses the foe will lose 50% of their health, 3 Curses removes 75% of their health and if you stack 4 Curses they would be OHKO'd. Sadly there arent many viable users of this move, only Spiritomb and Dusknoir can really pull this off well due to their bulk.

(P)Hazer: - PHazers are useful on stall teams as they stop your opponent from setting up on you and can also shuffle residual damage around their team. These should be HEAVILY considered on while building your stall team. Their pro's are too good to pass up.

Forces the target to switch to a random Pokémon. Has no effect on a Pokémon with Suction Cups or one that has used Ingrain. (Roar doesn't affect soundproof pokemon, whilst Whirlwind does). Note: Have -6 priority which means it will nearly always go last.

Roar / Whirlwind are the best ways of PHazing hands down. They force the target out of play, which stops stat up attempts, Baton Pass attempts, Substitute attempts, and a whole host of other things cold. As an added bonus it racks up entry hazard damage by FORCING them to switch random Pokémon into the hazards, so a Roar / Whirlwind user is HIGHLY advised as it's just too good to pass up. I'd say its nearly 100% required. This also to ensure your team isn't swept by stat boost Baton Passing attempts.

Brings all Pokémon's stat changes to their base amount (0 stages). This does not affect the boost from Choice Band, Choice Scarf, or Choice Specs. This is not blocked by Clear Body or White Smoke.

Same as Roar / Whirlwind as far as canceling stat up attempts go, but it is not a very good move otherwise. It won't stop Substitute, nor does it force your opponent out. That and most the users of this move aren't too viable otherwise.

There are other PHazing moves, some of which have already been covered in other areas of this article. Encore, Taunt, Perish Song, etc can all be used as PHazing moves to cause the foe to switch (which is your overall aim in stalling), but when it comes down to it Roar / Whirlwind are the best and should be the PHazing move of choice.

Status Absorber / Healer: - Stall teams NEED a way to deal with status or you're going to be crippled when something like Breloom or Smeargle show up, decide to Spore one of your Pokémon, and then you must decide which of your vital members get put to sleep; this is never a good thing.

Rest + Sleep Talk: - The best way to deal with status. Rest and Sleep Talk allow you to absorb all status with little fuss because you are able to heal it off easily. This also activates the 'Sleep Clause' if you switch your Rest-Talker into their sleep move so this is the method you should be using the most to help your stall team with said status. However, there is the downside of this: it takes a little prediction to use effectively, so you should have more than one way to deal with status. A Pokémon with the ability Natural Cure always helps to support your Rest-Talker, and to help your team take status even better is always helpful too.

Cures burn, confusion, freeze, paralysis, poison, and sleep from every Pokémon on the user's team. Heal Bell doesn't heal any Pokémon in the user's party that have the ability Soundproof whilst Aromatherapy does.

If you can't find space for a Rest-Talker, this is the next best thing. You can heal your entire team of status completely. However it is often easy for your opponent to predict when you will send in your cleric after they have statused a vital member of your team and use this as a free turn to set up which is never a good thing. The number of viable Pokémon who can effectively use these two moves is also significantly small.

Pokémon with this ability cure themselves of all status when they leave the battlefield.

A very elusive ability, which only a few viable Pokémon have. It is obvious as to why this ability is amazing when it comes to dealing with status. 100% cure from status each time you switch in and out of play is very hard to pass up. As said though not many pokemon have access to this ability. Dont rely on a natural cure pokemon to take all your status though as this is very predictable and doesnt activate sleep clause.

Things to Look Out For

Lures: - Be VERY wary of these, there is nothing more annoying than switching in a so called “counter” against a certain Pokémon and having it backfire. For example, switching a Celebi into Suicune expecting a CroCune and then getting OHKOed with a full powered Life Orb +1 Ice Beam from Offensive Suicune. Or, switching your Blissey in against a Heatran expecting it to be a ScarfTran and it then using Magma Storm to trap you and lastly Exploding on you. You should always scout Pokémon early game to see what they do and judge from there on how you will handle them. e.g. If you see the Suicune has no Leftovers recovery, you should NOT switch your Celebi into it. There are often tell tale signs like this you should be aware of, so be on the lookout for them.

Wall Breakers: This is pretty obvious, but for the most part they will or won't be annoying depending on how you build your team. Luckily most of them are pretty easy to wear down thanks to the tendency for them to pack Life Orb. Clever switching helps wear down the powerful ones like MixMence and “checks” like Latias, Scarf Ice Punch Jirachi, etc also work. On the other hand different threats like MixApe for example can just be flat out walled by Tentacruel / Gyarados amongst other various Pokémon. Powerful wall breakers like Salamence though are one of the reasons a Scarfer is decent on stall to drive them away / revenge kill them if they do break through.

Getting Stalled Yourself: This can fit into several categories, but as ironic as it is, it CAN happen due to these: entry hazards, Torment / Sub Heatran, SubRoost Zapdos, Sub + Pain Split W-O-W Rotom-A, Taunt Gliscor, and a whole host of others. Yes, all these are immensely irritating for your standard stall team in their own individual way, so you should be aware of each and plan how you will defeat them.

Trick + Choice item: If you don't have anything to absorb a Tricked Choice item, like your own Scarfer, then prepare for one of your team members to be crippled badly. I advise packing a Scarfer, but if you can't fit one into your team, try to sacrifice one of your least needed team members to take the Choice item. There is also the rare Sticky Hold ability which stops Trick, but the users of this ability are hard to come by and also not very viable.

Entry Hazards: If you let them stack up entry hazards against you (foe stall AND offensive teams) and you cannot get up yours, it will cripple your team badly, and put you in a very bad position, so try to not let the opponent do it. If you do let them do it, I suggest just trying to get rid of their Ghost-type and try to wear it down so you can spin ASAP to give you at least have a fighting chance.

Foresight Rapid Spinners: Not as much of a threat in OU, but they can be in UU where they see more use. Foresight allows the Pokémon to Rapid Spin on your Ghost which is of obvious concern. There isn't much you can do apart from trying to wear the spinner down and then set up your entry hazards again or using two Ghost-types, but that isn't really conventional.

Things that Beat Blissey (If You Are Using It): Blissey is often one of the pillars of stall for a reason, she is VERY heavily relied upon due to her ability to beat nearly every special threat in the game. So, it is natural that if a certain Pokémon is capable of beating Blissey or removing it then that Pokémon is going to cause problems, and might possibly break through. You should always cover the threats Blissey cannot or at least take them into mind. For example, if you only pack Flamethrower on your Blissey you should watch out for Pokémon that can set up on her like Substitute / Taunt Heatran, CM Sub Raikou, SubMind Jirachi, etc amongst various others. If your Blissey uses only Seismic Toss then you should be careful of the Pokémon that beat her like Gengar, Rotom-A, etc. You should cover the things she cannot beat with the rest of your team, keep this in mind and always take note of it when team building. Also, if Blissey gets Exploded on unexpectedly or trapped by a random Dugtrio, your team should still be able to pull together and win, just don't rely on one member too heavily on your stall team.

Trappers: Yes, here is one of the big ones. These can really break apart your walling, so they need careful handling. Magnezone, Dugtrio and Pursuit users are the main ones to watch out for. Magnezone makes Steel-type walls live hell and can make it easy for powerful dragons to Outrage / Draco Meteor their way to victory by removing them. To avoid this if you are using multiple Steel walls I recommend equipping AT LEAST one of them with a Shed Shell to avoid Magnezone's Magnet Pull and thus keeping your Steel-types safe. Dugtrio on the other hand is a little trickier to avoid, because it traps a wider array of pokemon, just try not to pack your team with too many Dugtrio bait Pokémon and you should be fine. It is also frail and thankfully the majority of stall based Pokémon are quite bulky, so it should be hard pressed getting a kill. Lastly Pursuit users such as Tyranitar, Scizor, and Weavile are the main suspects here, and if you have a lot of Psychic / Ghost / Blissey, basically ”Pursuit / trap bait” Pokémon on your team, they can be annoying. I recommend putting Will-O-Wisp / Reflect on these Pokémon to avoid this by cushioning the blow from Pursuit if they get either of them. Protect is also a fantastic move to avoid it and is one of the reasons Wish Blissey uses Protect so it gets a heads up to see if they will Pursuit her. Substitute is also useful, as it allows you to switch out from Pursuit whilst the Sub takes the damage.

Mini Stall Checklist

Have SR + Spikes (100% needed) / T-Spikes (optional)?
Have a Rapid Spin blocker?
Have a Rapid Spinner?
Have a (P)Hazer?
Have a status absorber or some way to deal with status?
Have something to stop last Pokémon sweeps (e.g. Encore / Taunt + Toxic / Perish Song / Trick / Curse)?
Have Wish support? (optional)
Have something to absorb T-Spikes? (optional)
Have something to change the weather? (optional)

Credits

Dark_Azelf (Me),
Wolfare, Pokedra and Archer for Formatting help.
Aura, Nate and Wolfare for grammar help
Me again.
And last but not least, me.

__________________

Since the beginning of time, man has sought to know the unimaginable. To shake hands with the intangible. To measure the abstract with concrete gauges, to fit the mind of the infinite within the imagination of the finite. Nevermore.

Tips on Creating an Entertaining Battle Log

-By BeachBoy

Back around the end of February, I suggested in Community Questions & Feedback that a sub-forum be created to give PokéCommunity members the opportunity to make threads detailing their battles from Shoddy. And lately, in all honesty, there have been a fair amount of battle logs posted that really don't level up to what a battle log should be. It's great this sub-forum is at least getting some activity, however it's time to put some effort into it. ;D

After talking with Anti-pop about how recently the events in this sub-forum have not been up to par, he brought up the idea of a thread to help members out. The light bulb went off and here it is... Tips on creating your battle log! Remember, I'm here to simply give you some advice on it, it's your decision to do whatever on your battle log as long as it's within the rules, but these are recommended. All these tips might seem to damper your spirits to create one, but the response from creating a battle log and giving other users something enjoyable to read is a wonderful thing.

Tips

No.1 Introductions, introductions, and more introductions.

In the beginning, before you get the battle under way, state what was happening before the match. Is it a new team you were trying to experiment with? Another battle after a rough day? Explain what has been going on prior to give your readers an idea into how everything started out. Also, make sure you post your team in there as well. Posting your line up (preferably in sprites) gives the reader a look into your decision making further on during the battle, and overall understand what's going on. And besides, sprites make the battle log look better as well. They definitely give an upgrade when your about to make that wall of text.

No.2Show some life and talk!

Commentary, by far, is the biggest tip for a battle log. After each turn, tell us what your thinking, even if you made a bad move, you have to have some thought process when your battling. What are you thinking about doing? All in all, commentary make a battle log. That dull wall of text that you got from saving it doesn't cut it, and is very boring. So, once you add commentary, readers have some insight as to what's going on and follow you better. Getting into your head is basically what should come from your commentary on the match. Now, by this tip I mean, don't overwhelm us. We don't need to sit there for 7 hours reading every single detail with paragraphs after every turn. Also, "Darn it, bad move!!" or "Oh well, here he comes again." Little fragments are not battle log worthy commentary, folks. Same thing with the 1337 talk, we're human, but don't make it incomprehensible. =/

No.3Selection for a battle log is key.

In general, it's great you got a sweep, but those are the battle logs that are utterly boring as the sock under your bed. Select a battle to post that's interesting. ZOMG, I SWEPT A KID WIT TEH GACHOMP! That would be a bad selection. We know how devastating many Pocket Monsters are. A battle log where you sweep or completely own the opponent are not interesting to read, and a waste of time, to be honest. A battle we look for is one in which both you and your opponent make good decisions, a close match at least, and overall a good battle. Also, length of the battle; Stall wars, fine. Moderately long, fine. Short eight turn battles, not fine. At least let there be something to read, what's the point of showing something that's seven turns? Refrain from quick battles.

No.4Colours are pretty.

Imagine this, an entire battle log, completely black from head to toe. Does that look nice on the eyes, having to differentiate everything? I suggest you use different colors to separate what's what. Also, some colors, are strictly forbidden. By that I mean, YELLOW! 8D <- That is an absolute no. Not to mention you'll probably be getting a ton of lawsuits too. Avoid extremely bright colors that blind us, nobody wants that. To explain further on this tip, use a different shade for everything. Example: Commentary light blue, battle log regular black, things dealing with the opponent one color, you another, etc.

No.5My Skarmory's nickname is I iz swept u nub!!1

When you open up word to see your battle log straight from the save, there are many useless items that can be removed. Nicknames, if either you or your opponent have nicknames, edit them to their original species name. It's very hard to follow the battle when your opponent's Skarmory named- "I iz swept u nub!!1 used Whirlwind!" So, make sure you cut the nicknames out and put the species names in.

No.6Extra, extra, read all about it!

Thread titles, they are the very first piece of bait to reel your reader (the fish) in. Make them interesting! Seriously, you see two battle logs; one named "I won" and the other "Clash of the Titans, Ubers!" Most likely, you'll read the clash first. When putting your title up, make sure it doesn't completely give away the result either, because if you do, it really messes up the joy of reading it before they even click the thread.

No.7Edit this, this, this, and oh that!

As I said earlier, there are various edits you can and/or should make to the original log. First off, (lvl 100 Species Name ?), not necessary when your already editing out the nicknames, so you can lose that. Some of the main things, edit out the lines of Stealth rock did so-so percent, Sand storm did so-so percent. And a suggestion, keep the total of the health/stat ups at the end of the turn. Whatever you can edit to lessen the log, is probably a good thing. So remember, leftover's recovery and sandstorm, hail, etc damage can be edited out and put into the total at the end. Also, edit out the commentary unless it somehow effects play. We don't really need conversations of "Hi, how are you?" in there. :x

No.8Creativity is a good thing, but be careful.

Changing battle log around into more of a story is fine creativity, but remember if you go down that path, make it comprehensible and be detailed enough to follow. Also, quit the leet talk, that is just overboard. We stress to be creative, and it's recommended, but don't go overboard and make it a complete mess, we have to enjoy reading it, not strain our eyes or scroll through it numerous times to understand. ;D Be creative with the log, but don't change it so we can't understand is basically what I'm trying to get across with this tip.

No.9Review

In conclusion of the battle log tips... After the battle, give a review. Detail the pros and cons of the match and basically a general analysis of how things played out, what you learned from the battle, etc. So basically, what did you think of everything that happened in the battle?

Resources & Other suggestions

Here are some resources you may want to use when making your battle log.

List of colors - This Wikipedia page details all the colors, if you don't see a color you like from the basic selections, go here and grab the a color you like, meaning get the hex triplet code. To put it simply, [color=hex triplet here]text you want the color here[/color] So, a little interesting color scheme over the plain basic default.

Other battle logs - By all means, when there is an excellent battle log posted, use it as a guide to help your own, would be nice to credit them too.

Sprite Resource - Well, you have to get your line up for your introduction somewhere, right? The Sprite Resource is an excellent place to locate all the sprites you need for your log.

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Common Complaint - "I don't have the time for this, it's too much to do at once!"

This is very common actually, I get it all the time. Are you tired and only did your introduction, can't really save it? Easy, simply private message yourself the entire thread and viola, saved in your PMs and you can add on bit by bit at your pace. ;D (Also, this explains why you always see me talking to myself via PM)

Results?

If you follow most or all of these tips, I guarantee it will be approved by the S&M staff. Not only that, but it should make for one heck of a good read. An example I could give you for most of these methods put together would be my first battle log here at PC. Check it out if you wish to see an example of what these tips look like all put together. [Click here for example] I know all of these seem like a lot to do, but it really helps, and makes it more enjoyable for everyone.

I said if one more person does this im gonna make a thread about it lol. So here it is;

ON A WEATHER (MAINLY SANDSTORM) TEAM YOUR ENTIRE TEAM DOES NOT HAVE TO BE IMMUNE TO THE WEATHER BECAUSE IT MAKES YOUR TEAM LOW KICK/SURF/GRASS KNOT/ICE BEAM AND METAGAME WEAK. IF YOU DO THIS YOUR TEAM ENDS UP TERRIBLE.

The sooner people realize this is NOT how you build weather teams the better, so please stop posting those sorts of teams.

2/3 Pokemon should be immune or benefit from the weather tops. The rest of the slots should be focused on sorting out your weaks basically whilst also being able to function well with synergy and also with your team strategy.

5 Water weaks + Vaporeon/<something not water weak> is not a good team either.

__________________

Since the beginning of time, man has sought to know the unimaginable. To shake hands with the intangible. To measure the abstract with concrete gauges, to fit the mind of the infinite within the imagination of the finite. Nevermore.

It has come to my attention that some people are either rating a rate or just suggesting dumb stuff. New players should not rate teams if they are inexperienced or not confident in their abilities and instead should just lurk around S+M for a while and use this guide. Remember people, leading people down the wrong path harms them!

This is a quick in-depth guide on how to rate teams and make your rate the most helpful it can be.

What is the Purpose of Doing a Rate?

The purpose of doing a rate is to actually help them get better results and improve on what they have. Finding threats and weaknesses, then fixing it by possibly replacing certain team members as well as out of place EVs and moves is what your aim is. If you state that you want to switch Pokémon/EV/Move "x" for Pokémon/EV/Move "y", then explain what the positive and negative aspects of that change will entail. Does putting in "x" instead of "y" open up any new holes that need to be covered? Sometimes it cannot be avoided, but you should avoid changing four and above Pokémon on the person's team as that is like building the team again which this board is not for. Likewise comments such as "Nice team dood 2/10" and "UR TEEM SUX MAN GTFO" will be swiftly purged and do not help in the slightest to anyone, especially the team builder. There are exceptions if the team is weak to everything and an utter mess, in which case you may tell the original poster in a nice manner with something along the lines of "This concept will not work, it has too many weaknesses and there is nowhere to really go from here. Honestly it would be better to scrap the team and start over". Though its very important to explain why it doesn't work so the OP doesn't make the same mistake again and point them in the right direction in regards to synergy etc. Something like this is a good way of going about things, as you can see he has helped the OP too aswell as showing him the downside as to why his team wont work.

Finding + Explaining Threats and Giving Solutions

The first thing you usually look for when rating teams is threats. It's good listing weaknesses, but if you don't elaborate on why and how the OP can solve this your post is next to useless. Finding threats is the key to helping the OP, so you shouldn't say just say things like "lol you lose to Tyranitar"; a better way to word this for example would be "If Tyranitar comes in and sets up a Dragon Dance you're 6-0'd since you have no check to it at all". Basically, why is <threat> a problem? What can <threat> do that the OP cannot handle? Explain yourself fully. Next, you should give solutions on how to deal with the aforementioned threat. A good way to handle this would be "I suggest 'x' to counter/check 'y' threat over <current Pokémon>". Then, explain how this will benefit their team more than their current set up. Reviewing your changes is also a great way to assess them. Does this open up new holes? How can you solve the new hole that has appeared? Lastly, think of synergy, does the team work together? Does it do what it's intended to do? Can it sweep or stall? Which Pokémon open up sweeps when used together? Does it have a solid core? Details like this are extremely important when making suggestions, so don't suggest something that breaks the current synergy! Finally, it's very helpful to list your changes in a shorter version at the end of your post so the OP doesn't have to sift through a huge post. Here is an example of what i mean. One last note is when giving out sets you should use something that resembles a readable format.

This is one of the more in-depth points about rating and it's really annoying as it's constantly done. Basically, things like if someone has an Heavy Offensive team, suggesting a Porygon2 or a wall will not help; please think of the strategy and what the OP's aim is with the team. Porygon2 will not help for obvious reasons on Heavy Offense, HO's aim is to keep momentum. A wall or Porygon2 are often offensively inept and can grant the foe free set up opportunities for stall and foe offense; often more than a frail offensive team can respond to and breaks the momentum. Simarily, suggesting an Infernape on a stall team would be just as useless since the team's aim is to stall, not sweep (obviously there are exceptions and this is subjective based on the team, especially more balanced playstyles, but keep what the team's goal is in mind before doing things like this. Basically, look at the team style before jumping to conclusions and making generalizations in your rate and dont suggest random garbage that doesn't help.). Again, it's important to ask yourself questions like "does the team work together"? Does it do what it's intended to? Can it sweep or stall? Which Pokémon open up sweeps when used together? Does it have a solid core offensively and/or defensively"?

Since the beginning of time, man has sought to know the unimaginable. To shake hands with the intangible. To measure the abstract with concrete gauges, to fit the mind of the infinite within the imagination of the finite. Nevermore.

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